Clearing our kitchens, makeup bags, and medicine cabinets of toxins has opened our eyes to many of the ways we’re inadvertently exposed to carcinogens and endocrine disruptors on a daily basis, from cleaning products, to perfume and personal care. And as it turns out, we also need to look inside our closets.

It’s not a small problem: Clothing manufacturers coat their wares in seriously toxic chemicals at several different stages, from coloring fabrics to finishing pieces, explains clean-fashion pioneer Marci Zaroff. (Never mind the significant environmental impact, or the human cost of underpaid workers in factories where most clothing is made.) Zaroff explains that the systemic nature of toxins in clothing often means that trying to wash them out of the clothes we buy is like trying to “wash” pesitcides out of conventionally grown strawberries: Practically impossible.

The fashion space lacks a unifying regulator, like the USDA or the FDA, and the process of making clothes is complex and layered, so there are plenty of places it can go wrong (and frequently does, Zaroff says).